If the Berks playoffs opened today . . .

If the Berks Conference playoffs opened today . . . Reading High would again be the No. 1 seed, and open with a quarterfinal against Division IV champ Oley Valley.

Of course, the playoffs don’t open today — they tip Feb. 13 — and there are a lot of games left to be played. Most teams have completed fewer than half their league games; none is close to clinching a division title.

Still, the impending lineup looks familiar, with six of the eight teams which qualified last season in position to return.

The four division champs, two runners-up and the remaining two teams with the highest power rating will form the eight-team field. Those eight will be seeded based on District 3 power rating.

Coaches’ appeals can alter those seedings. They did last year when Berks IV champ Antietam earned the No. 4 spot but was moved down three spots to No. 7 by a vote of the coaches who qualified for the playoffs.

The Berks semifinals will be played Feb. 15 at Santander Arena, with the championship game back at the Big House two days later.

The Red Knights (14-1) remain the strong favorite for a second straight title. They have three starters back from last year’s championship team and haven’t lost to a Pennsylvania team. They’re alone in first place in Berks I after a 44-39 win over Wilson Jan. 5.

Berks Catholic (12-1) leads Berks II after besting top rival Exeter 73-63 Dec. 22. Fleetwood (13-1) is in control in Berks III after sweeping each of its division rivals in the first of their two meetings. Oley Valley (10-4) took control in Berks IV Saturday with a 45-42 win over top rival Antietam (8-6).

The two runner-up spots will be determined by head-to-head meetings. Wilson (11-3) and Exeter (7-4) are currently in second place in Berks I and II, respectively. They’ll meet Jan. 27. Muhlenberg (8-5) is just one game back of Wilson and remains in contention for that spot. The Muhls lost to the Bulldogs 62-41 on Jan. 3.

The other runner-up spot will come from Berks III or Berks IV. That makes tonight’s Antietam (8-6) at Schuylkill Valley (10-3) game a big one. Each team is currently in second place in their respective division. The winner will have the inside track to a Berks playoff spot.

Antietam, which currently has the 10th-best power rating among Berks Conference teams, likely will need the runner-up spot to qualify. Schuylkill Valley is currently seventh in Berks in power rating and could qualify as a wild card.

Fleetwood is currently No. 3 among Berks teams in power rating, and could finish No. 2. The Tigers will be favored to win each of their remaining games. Berks Catholic, currently No. 2 in power ratings, still has challenging games ahead against Wilson, Reading High and Exeter.

Hamburg (8-5) remains in contention for the runner-up spot in Berks III. It trails Schuylkill Valley by one game. The Panthers took the first meeting 43-31.

Brandywine Heights (7-7) and Kutztown (4-9) remain in contention for the Berks IV runner-up spot. Each trails Antietam by one game in the loss column. The Bullets lost their first meeting against the Mounts; the Cougars won theirs.

Muhlenberg (.680) and Exeter (.654), currently fifth and sixth, respectively, in Berks power rating are in strong position to earn a wild card spot if they don’t qualify as a runner-up.

Heading into Monday’s games, here’s what the potential match-ups would look like:

1	Reading High	vs.	8	Oley Valley
4	Wilson	vs.	5	Muhlenberg
2	Berks Catholic	vs.	7	Schuylkill Valley
3	Fleetwood	vs.	6	Exeter